22 ' EXPERIMENTAL FARMS. 



the past three years the crop of turnips has been much diminished by the attack of 

 a species of rot which has affected the roots when partly grown and resulted in rapid 

 decay. This disease has been common on many farms in the Ottawa district, and no 

 remedy has yet been discovered for it. It was hoped that change of seed might 

 affect the crop favourably, but this seems to have no appreciable effect. During the 

 past wet season the yield has been greatly reduced from this cause. From 4 to 

 6 lbs. of mangel seed and 6 lbs. of turnip seed is the quantity which has been used 

 per acre each year, and both have been sown in rows 2J feet apart. The treatment 

 of the land has been as follows: Ploughed in the autumn after the crop is 

 gathered, disc-harrowed once in the spring, harrowed with smoothing harrow once, 

 then ridged and sown. The land used for the turnips, which are usually sown later 

 than the mangels, is allowed to stand after disc-harrowing, then cultivated once and 

 ridged immediately before sowing. In 1889 the mangels were sown M.a.y 23rd, came 

 up June 2nd and were pulled October 18th. The turnips were sown May 23rd, 

 came up May 30th, were pulled October 14th. In 1890 mangels were sown May 

 2l8t, came up May 30th and were pulled October 15th. The dates of the sowing 

 and coming up of the turnips for this year have been lost, but they were pulled 

 October ]6th. In 1891 mangels were sown May 16th, came up May 27th, pulled 

 October 16th. Turnips were sown June 6th, came up June 11th, were pulled October 

 19th. In 1892, mangels were sown May 14th, came up May 24th and were pulled 

 October l9th. Turnips were sown June 11th, came up June 16th, were pulled 

 October 29th. In 1893, mangels were sown May Slst, came up June Tth, were 

 pulled October 2l8t. Turnips were sown Juno 15th, came up June 20th and were 

 pulled October 2l8t. 



PLOTS OP CARROTS AND SUGAR-BEETS. 



The plots of carrots and sugar-beets, consisting of 2V ^cre each, were sown on 

 alternate halves of the wheat, barley and oat plots for the purpose of cleaning the 

 land from weeds. They were begun in 1891 and have been continued to the present. 

 The plots after wheat and oats have been sown with a field carrot known as the 

 Improved Short White. The plots after barley were sown in 1891 with 11 varieties 

 of sugar-beet as stated in the table. The varieties were Dippe's Klein Wanzleben 

 4 rows, Bulteau Desprez 4 rows, Yaurica Yellow Giant 2 rows, Yilmorin's No. 1, 

 4 rows. Large Sugar 4 rows, Klein Wanzleben 4 i-ows, Yilmorin's Improved White 2 

 rows, Green Necked Brabant 2 rows, YilmorinsNo. 2, 4 rows and 8 rows each of seed 

 sent for test by Mr. A. Musy, of the Karnham Beet Sugar Factory designated I. B. and C. 

 H. In 1892 the plots after barley were sown with the Guerande or ox-heart carrot and 

 in 1893 with the Mammoth White Intermediate, a field carrot recently introduced. 

 In 1891 the sugar-beets were sown 11th May, came up 26th May and were pulled 18th 

 October. The carrots grown after wheat and oats, were sown 11th May came up 26th 

 May and were pulled 29th October. In 1892 the carrots grown after barley were 

 sown 11th May came up 26th May and were pulled 2nth October; those after wheat 

 were sown 6th May came up 20th May were pulled 31st October, and those after 

 oats sown 6th May came up 20th May and were pulled 3rd November. In 1893 the 

 carrots grown after barley were sown 30th May came up 7th June and were pulled 

 23rd October ; those after wheat and oats were sown 30th May came up 6th June 

 and were pulled 23rd and 24th October. 



These plots have given fairly uniform returns varying but slightly from what 

 might have been expected from the fertilizers used. The sugar-beets on several of 

 the plots in 1891 were partly destroyed by cut-worms which will account for un- 

 expected variations in yields that year. The carrots after oats also suffered similar 

 injury that season. On plots 18, 19, 20 and 21 after oats, the soil is heavier than 

 on the other plots and less suitable for carrots which will in part account for the 

 relatively smaller yield on these plots as compared with those after wheat. 



